Tube closure



Dec, 13, 1949 J. J. ROBINSON, JR 2,491,213

TUBE CLOSURE Filed Nov. 15, 1946 ZSnventor F1194 Joseph JR011i12s012,=/12

Gttornegs Patented Dec. 13, 1949 UBE C OSUR roration of Ohio Application November 15, 194.6, Serial No. 710,175

7. Claims. 1

The invention relates to closures for shipping or mailing tubes and more particularly tea closme in the form of a sheet metal bung or plug.

It iscustomary to. ship lengths. of'sheet metal; strips, trim, molding and the like, enclosed in tubular containers: formed of cardboard, fiber or similar: material; these tubes being of alongth somewhat: longer than the strips containedtherein and of? suitable diameter to. accommodatethe desired number ofs the articles.

The-lends of thetube must necessarily betightly closed, so as; to preventthe metal strips, or other articles, therein from accidentally falling from the; tubes: during shipment; For this purpose it is common practice-at present to close the ends ai men, tubes with. wood. plugs wl'lichv are secured in place. by nails.

requires: some, considerable labor as four. nails are usually driven into. each plug and; two plugs: arerequired, one for each end of the tube; It, frequently happens. that. these wood plugs crack or split when. the nails. are. driven. therein, requiring; that the. damageclplug be removed and r placed by: a. new one, requiring: additional time a ddahor.

iimQbicqt. Q i the presentim'ention is to provide asheet mctaliplus or bung; which requires no; nails Qro hcrseparate: fastenin -means for; securing it in. pl ce th tube.

Anothe obje t is to provide a closure; of this racter s on tructe ha it: may e termed intatheendoiithe tube-andgsecured in place in a single quick and easy operation.

A further object is to; provide a tube closure of this character in the form oi a cup-shaped sheet metal plug or bung of a diameter to snugly fit within the interior of the tube and provided with a spaced plurality" of highpoints. or extensions terminating in sharp prongs. for engagement in the wallsoi? the tube.

A stillfurther object is to provide a sheet metal plug or bung of the character referred to which is provided with groups of sharp corrugations or teeth located between adjacent prongs for frictionally engaging the inner walls of the tube.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cup-shaped sheet metal tube closure of this character which is formed from a square sheet metal blank, the corners of the square blank forming the high points or extensions with sharpened prongs, upon the finished plug or bung.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawing and following description, or which may be later referred to, may be attained by constructing the improved sheet: metal tube. closure in. he manner h rein.- after: described: detail and: illustrated inthe,- accompanying drawing, in which;v

Fi ure Ilsa plan. view of the squaresheet metal blah-1c fr m which. the fini hed. plus or una is tamed;

Fig; 25a. top.- plan view of; a sheet metal plugorbung embodying the invention;

F a 3 a. side: levation. of therplua or buns;

Fig. 4 a longitudinal, sectional view of one, end portion of a shipping or mailing tube showing one of the improved plugs, or bungs secured therein; and,

Fig;- 5 a transverse section on the line, 5-5 g.-. 4,.

The-improved. tube closure towhich the inven.-. tion pertains. may be, formed from a squaresheet metalrblank as indicated generally at It] in Fig. 1 This, sheet metal blank may be placed in dies. and in a single drawing and forming operation formed tothe shape shown in Figs. 2 and 3, producing a slightly cup-shaped. plug. or bung.

The central portion ll, oi thesheetmetal blank forms. the substantially flat. bottom wall [2, while the. ed e portions I3- of: the, blank. form the. turned peripheralfiange M. thecorners 15 of. the. blank forming. the spaced, upwardly disposed, triangular extensions, or high points 1,6, terminatms. n. the sh rpened p ngs. or points H. which are, bent. slightly outward beyond he periphery of he flange. 14.1.

Int rmediate. these high po ts the p ripheral dance 14 may be crimped. o. f rm gro p r harp corrugations or teeth, [8, disposed. outwardly from the flange. I 4. so asto frictionally ensagetneinner Wal s of. he. tube as. willibe. laterexplained.

In Figs-4mm; 5' anend portion of. a shipping; or mailin ub of. cardboard}. fiber or similar. materialisindicatcd at 1.3.. Such tubes. arev provided for hipping sheetmetal. strinsmoldine. trim and the like and when the articles have been placed in the tube the ends of the tube may be closed by forcing one of the improved sheet metal plugs or bungs into each end thereof.

This may be accomplished by placing the bung in the open end of the tube and forcing it inward by means of any suitable device such as a wooden plunger or the like operated by hand.

As the bung is forced into position in the end of the tube [9, the sharpened, outturned prongs I? will embed themselves into the material of the tube in the manner shown in Fig. 4, holding the bung securely in place and preventing accidental removal thereof. At the same time the groups of sharpened corrugations or teeth l8 will 3 frictionally engage and bite into the inner walls of the tube further assisting in securely holding the bung in place within the end portion of the tube.

Sheet metal bungs of the character illustrated and described may be produced for a fraction of the cost of the wood plugs now commonly used for this purpose and may be secured in position in the ends of the tubes with considerably less time and labor than is required for the nailing of the conventional wood plugs in place.

In use the improved sheet metal closure will remain securely in position during transporting or shipping of the tubes and can not be removed except by insertin a tool between the exterior of the bung and the interior of the tube and forcing or prying the bung outward.

Attention is called to the construction of the bung whereby the out-turned prongs I! are higher than the intervening corrugated spaces 18 thereby producing a much deeper bung which can not be easily tilted in the tube by an excess of pressure at any point around the inside of the bung. It will be seen that this method of forming a deeper bung is accomplished with no waste or scrap metal such as would be the case if the bung were the same height entirely around its periphery whereby a circular blank would be required resulting in a considerable amount of scrap metal.

I claim:

1. A closure for shipping tubes comprising a substantially cup shaped, sheet metal bung having a bottom wall with an upstanding peripheral flange thereon, spaced, upwardly disposed extensions upon the flangeand out-turned prongs at the ends of said extensions, whereby the bung maybe driven into the end of a tube to any desired extent, the peripheral flange and extensions thereon preventing tipping of the bung'and the prongs engaging in the tube and preventing outward movement of the bung.

2. A closure for shipping tubes comprising a substantially cup shaped, sheet metal bung having a bottom Wall with an upstanding peripheral flange thereon, spaced, upwardly disposed triangular extensions upon the flange and outturned prongs at the ends of said extensions, whereby the bung may be driven into the end of a tube to any desired extent, the peripheral flange and extensions thereon preventing tipping of the bung and the prongs engaging in the tube and preventing outward movement of the bung.

3. A closure for shipping tubes comprising a substantially cup shaped, sheet metal bung having a. bottom wall with an upstanding peripheral flange thereon, spaced, upwardly disposed extensions upon the flange and out-turned prongs at the ends of said extensions and groups of outwardly disposed corrugations formed on the pe- 4 ripheral flange between adjacent extensions, whereby the bung may be driven into the end of a tube to any desired extent, the peripheral flange and extensions thereon preventing tipping of the 01mg and the prongs ngaging in the tube and preventing outward movement of the bung.

4. A closure for shipping tubes comprising a substantially cup shaped, sheet metal bung having a bottom wall with an upstanding peripheral flange thereon, spaced, upwardly disposed triangular extensions upon the flange and outturned prongs at the ends of said extensions and groups of outwardly disposed corrugations formed on the peripheral flange between adjacent extensions, whereby the bung may be driven into the end of a tube to any desired extent, the peripheral flange and extensions thereon preventing tipping of the bung and the prongs engaging in the tube and preventing outward movement of the bung.

5.A closure for shipping tubes comprising a substantially cup-shaped sheet metal bung having a bottom wall with a relatively low upstanding peripheral flange thereon, spaced upwardly, disposed, relatively high, out-turned prongs upon said flange and outwardly disposed corrugations formed upon the intervening low portions of the peripheral flange, whereby the bung may be driven into the end of a tube to any desired extent, the peripheral flange and extensions thereon preventing tipping of the bung and the prongs engaging in the tube and preventing outward movement of the bung.

6. A closure for shipping tubes comprising a substantially cup shaped bung formed from a square sheet metal blank, said bung having a bottom wall formed from the central portion of the blank, an upstanding, peripheral flange formed from the edge portions of the blank and spaced upwardly disposed extensions upon said peripheral flange, provided with outturned prongs formed from the corners of the blank.

7. A closure for shipping tubes comprising a substantially cup shaped bung formed from a square sheet metal blank, said bung having a bottom wall formed from the central portion of the blank, an upstanding peripheral flange formed from the edge portions of the blank and spaced, upwardly disposed triangular extensions upon said peripheral flange, provided with outturned prongs formed from the corners of the blank.

JOSEPH J. ROBINSON, JR.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Lambert June 9, 1903 Number 

